Offbeat

Wild animals will be banned from circuses in England

Offbeat Desk2018-01-09 14:06:11

Wild animals will be banned from circuses in England. The move follows a public consultation in which 94.5 per cent of the public said they would support such a ban.

Animals in circuses are often subject to brutal and degrading treatment at the hands of circus masters – frequently beaten, starved and keep in unsanitary conditions while they are made to perform for crowds.

Scotland passed legislation to ban wild animals at the end of last year and over half of local authorities in the UK already refused to allow these types of circuses to perform in their boroughs.

Similarly more than 40 different countries around the world, including most of Europe, Latin America and several Asian countries, have already outlawed the practice.

In 2014 the Government introduced a licensing system with multiple conditions for wild animal travelling circuses but campaigners say this has allowed owners to continue to justify their existence, Sky News reported.

There are currently believed to be 19 animals performing in travelling circuses across England, according to the RSPCA.

A spokeswoman for the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs told The Independent: “The Government wants to see an end to the use of wild animals in travelling circuses and will legislate for a ban as soon as parliamentary time allows.”